With Kudankulam Down, Tamil Nadu Looks At Thermal Option

Two units of Kudankulam Nuclear Power plant have been shut down. While Unit 1 is down for the past four months, Unit 2 has stopped production since August 4.

Consequently, Tangedco has been forced to meet the state’s power demand without the 1,000MW from the two units at Kudankulam. Fortunately, the power utility has been able to meet the demand due to the availability of wind power so far. However, it is forecast that the wind power generation is likely to come down in the next few weeks.

“Almost everyday, we have been asking the Kudankulam officials when at least one unit will resume power generation. But we have not been getting any confirmation from them. Even on Wednesday morning, we asked the officials about the status of Unit 2. They expect it to become operational only by the month-end or even the first week of September,” said a senior Tangedco official.

The discom is hopeful of meeting the average 14,000MW demand with some standby thermal units. “As of now, the demand is around 13,500MW and it is mostly due to residents using air conditioners in large cities like Chennai and Coimbatore. Once the weather improves, the demand is likely to come down,” said the official. Read More…